Thread: Breadboard ends on fairly thin table top

I've never used breadboard ends so I'm also interested in learning how to construct them.

I've never done them, but I've seen examples using floating tenons. Rout out mortices in the top and ends, then round over the edges of some scrap for the tenons. As you've said, leave room for expansion/contraction. I'll see if I can dig out an article about them for you.

You will need to be adding close to 10cm at each end which is not overly wide, if you just cut a shallow tongue and groove to mate up the ends to the table top. You could then mortice into each piece and glue in longer tenons to provide some lateral strength if there is much chance of weight loading the ends so the joint looks more like the pics here.

This last option sounds like a good solution. I think I'll go with something along those lines!

Hi Sebastiaan, Here's a link to a video on how to cut the joints fairly quickly with a handheld router. Probably best to fit the extension tenon pieces into the ends first, after squaring the top and marking the shoulder lines..
Cheers, Franklin

Here is an article I wrote, for use of handtools, on making breadboard ends ..

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furnitu...boardEnds.html

Below, laying out the mortices ...

BreadboardEnds_html_28cb0bee.jpg

The breadboard ends used in this lap desk are in sections that are just 3/8" thick - the tenons and mortices are 1/8" thick, and chopped with a 1/8" mortice chisel ..

Lapdesk_html_mf1294d9.jpg

Regards from Perth

Derek

Many thanks Derek.

Your final product in that article is very much what I'm aiming for!

I don't have the handtools to do this, but after buggering around with setting up my router into the table, huffing and puffing because I can't get my slot cutter bit high enough above the table etc...........I am starting to think that power tools aren't the be all and end all when it comes to time saving!

I'm hoping to get this done by the end of the week, so if i manage that I'll put up some photos ( this is my holiday project! ).


Cheers

Seb

Hi Seb

If it is just a groove that stalls you, you can use a tablesaw instead of a router. You could deepen this progressively. The groove could act as a guide to set up a straight router bit, with the mortices routed from above and running on registration blocks clamped to the side.

You can use the tablesaw for the tenon/tongue and well.

If this is not clear, then yell out for instructions.

Regards from Perth

Derek

The quickest way is to use a biscuit joiner and rather than just a row of biscuits in a line , do one half 5 mm down from the top to the top of the biscuit and the other half 5mm up from the bottom .

Or , a 6.5mm slot 14mm deep each side and glue in a cross grained tongue or same grain direction as the top wood , then glue on the BBE .

Rob